How many total applications do you receive? How many are offered admission?
For the Fall 2023 application cycle, we received 173 applications and 14 were offered admission.
Will the department notify me that they received my application?
No. The Department does not send confirmation when you have submitted your application or that we received it. However, you should receive confirmation from the online application system when your application is submitted successfully.
What is your policy on deferring admission?
Students may defer admission when rare situations or unforeseen, extenuating circumstances occur that affect an applicant’s ability to enroll. These situations may include: a medical emergency; a family emergency; delay or denial of a visa to study in the United States; or natural disaster.
When these types of circumstances occur, an admitted student may request to defer enrollment (referred to as deferred admission) for up to one year following the original term of application. A new application and application fee are not required.
Typically, circumstances such as employment, enrollment at another institution, funding, or indecisiveness regarding enrollment are not appropriate justifications for requesting deferred enrollment.
Students must directly notify the Department’s Graduate Program (anthro.grad.program@umich.edu). If you have been offered funding and choose to defer, you will not necessarily receive the same funding the following year.
How can I improve my application?
The best thing you can do is present a complete and quality application, which may mean starting to gather materials ahead of the deadline.
Here are some points that may help you prepare:
1) Review faculty profiles on our website to see what their research interests are, how they align with your own research interests, and who you may want to work with;
2) Contact current and previous institutions about submitting transcripts. We cannot consider your application without them;
3) Reach out about letters of recommendation in advance--try to have at least two letters that are from academic sources (ex. professors or advisors);
4) Prepare for TOEFL or IELTS tests and leave yourself enough time for a re-test if you feel you have not done your very best;
5) Use the resources available on our website, like the Application Checklist, to keep track of all materials required to complete your application
In your Statement of Purpose, it is crucial to outline your professional, intellectual, and research interests and career goals in direct relation to the professional and intellectual commitments of anthropology. You may also want to include some assessment of how your interests connect to the interests of the faculty. Take time in preparing this statement--it is different from the Personal Statement.
